The Hobbit

It’s wonderful to be back in Middle Earth

So does it live up to all the hype and hoopla? And then some. Was it faithful to The Hobbit as set forth by J. R. R. Tolkien? Well…as much as can be cinematically expected.  Some characters were missing, like the woodsman/bear guy. And some from the LOTR trilogy were thrown in for continuity, like Frodo, Galadriel and Saruman.  But in the hands of Peter Jackson, the experience was pure Tolkien.

For Bilbo Baggins, tucked into his homey Hobbit hole with his pipe and well-stocked larder, the adventure begins when he’s singled out by a wizard called Gandalf to act as a burglar. A burglar? That isn’t well explained in this first installment. The Hobbit is small, quiet, resourceful and, well, unexpected. The dwarves’ quest, which Gandalf is aiding, will at some point need some extreme sneakery.  And Bilbo fills the bill. The whole thing is hardly fair to Bilbo, but for some reason Gandalf feels he needs to see a bit more of the world. You know - experience hideous orcs, assorted goblins, wargs, stone giants and the like.

Quest stories are always fraught with possibilities: reversals, revelations, cliff-hanging dangers, unexpected encounters, you name it. This tale has it in spades. The special appeal of this one is that the main character, Bilbo the Hobbit, has the fortitude to rise up with sword in hand when he absolutely must. But he remains the genuine, unassuming little homebody that he was before setting out.

Which isn’t to say he doesn’t grow from the experience. His first encounter with a wizard puzzles him greatly. The intrusion of the dwarves was distasteful at best. But as he travels with them, his astute little mind wraps around the meaning of the quest and the qualities of his companions. Bonds of respect and friendship form.

There’s a lot of warmth in this action-plus movie. As before, it’s set in the breathless panoramic beauty of New Zealand. You want to see this. We all need a little Middle Earth in our souls.

Following THE HOBBIT?

Have I got the links for you!

What could be better than having a friend in Wellington, New Zealand at a time like this? In my case it’s Glenis Thomas, author of the definitive and colorful Blueberry Recipes. Not only were many of her friends and relatives extras in the LOTR trilogy, Sir Peter Jackson has his own studio there.
I can always count on Glenis to keep me updated on events down under, and goodness knows there are plenty! Earthquakes, stranded penguins, earthquakes, World Cup events, earthquakes, and now “The Hobbit.”

The local news media, TVNZ, is right there, of course, witnessing the action and interviewing stars and staff. There’s such a wealth of material for Tolkien fanatics like me to devour. The following links cover movie trailers, in-depth video blogs, and nightly news reports. Great stuff!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTSoD4BBCJc

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0903624/

http://the-hobbit-movie.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s97dbviAmw0&feature=related

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150720773691807&set=vb.141884481557&type=2&theater
http://tvnz.co.nz/entertainment-news/first-trailer-hobbit-unveiled-today-4665935/video

Okay, that will keep you busy for a while! Can’t believe the release date is all the way into 2013! Thanks, Glenis – and keep ‘em coming!

A Letter from New Zealand

Hi Mary,

We are all so upset and in shock. It is a terrible event. 75 are confirmed dead with up to 300 missing. The aftershocks are big and frequent, causing more damage and distress. I am not feeling the quakes where I live. (Wellington, on the North Island) We never thought that Christchurch would be place where earthquakes like this would occur.

Thankfully our family members in Christchurch are unhurt, but have damage to their homes and possessions. One cousin’s home is completely destroyed. The damage this time is far greater than the first one. (Sept. 2010) It will take a long time just to recover basic services like sewerage, water and power.

The beautiful, historical city of Christchurch and Lyttelton, where I used to visit as a child, is changed forever. The Mayor there is amazing, as are the rescuers, police, firemen, army, medical people, and so many others. Professional people are now arriving from other countries to help. We so appreciate their assistance and kindness.

There is real concern over the 17-story hotel in the central business district. It is leaning to one side and looking about to fall. You can see a crack down one side from the top of the building and the top is sagging.

Some amputations have occurred to free people. Many severe crush injuries are being rushed to hospitals around the country.

My sister, who lives 100k south in Temuka, was badly shaken, she could not stand up when the quake hit, so it was not just the city of CHCH.

Her daughter and grandson are in ChCh so she traveled up with food and money as banks are non functional and food shops damaged. Everything in the house was smashed to pieces.

My sister had to take out a loan to help her daughter. We are helping from here where we can. They cannot use toilets or showers. Drinking water is being tanked in, but not enough to meet the needs.

There are still reports and stories of amazing rescues. We are glued to the live TV to keep up with what is happening- it's compelling but so dreadful. There is a lot you can pick up on YouTube. Here is a link to the spectacular glacial calving resulting from the quake. http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/glacial-calving-after-earthquake-4039406

My Mum grew up in the areas so badly affected. She is so upset I spent much of today with her. She is 84 and lives about 9mins away from me.

Thank you for caring. It helps to tell someone. Your prayers are valued.

Glenis

The Human Face of the New Zealand Quake

Remember my friend Glenis Thomas? I blogged about her blueberry cookbook about a month ago. She lives in Wellington, NZ. I emailed her when I learned about the 7.2 quake on the news. She replied that she’d slept through the whole thing! Wellington, you see, is on North Island. The epicenter was near Christchurch, which is on South Island. However, she’s since been sending me links to the local media and sharing eyewitness accounts that you’ll never catch on international news.

It seems that New Zealand sits above an ongoing collision between the Pacific and Australian tectonic plates. The country records more than 14,000 earthquakes a year, but only about 150 are felt by residents. Fewer than 10 a year do any damage. Now Canterbury University geology professor Mark Quigley (OMG. Quigley Down Under?) says it looks like a new fault line has been ripped in the Earth’s surface. “We saw two houses that were completely snapped in half," he said.

As you can see, the greatest damage and debris is fallen bricks. Glenis tells me almost everything there is brick. Yet only two serious injuries were reported as chimneys and walls of older buildings were reduced to rubble. Prime Minister John Key said it was a miracle no one was killed. "If this had happened five hours earlier or five hours later (when many more people were in the city), there would have been absolute carnage in terms of human life," he told TV One News Sunday.

Then, in spite of flooding from broken water mains and total power and utility disruptions, the miracle stories began coming out. Glenis shared these with me:

One lady heard water running and stepped out of her house in the dark to see what it was. She promptly fell into a deep hole that had opened up and was suddenly up to her neck in liquid sand. Her teenage daughter was following right behind her but apparently offered little help. “The woman broke all her nails getting out,” Glenis reports. “Terrifying!”

A 15-year-old boy was asleep on the 2nd floor, his bed against the outside wall. When the quake woke him, he rolled over just as the outside wall of his bedroom ripped away. He fell to the ground as the interior wall collapsed onto his bed, escaping with only scratches and bruises! The house, a lovely country home, was completely destroyed.

A young woman awoke when her friend, screaming at her to get up, pulled her out of bed just as the outside brick wall collapsed onto the bed. She said she felt the brush of a falling brick go passed her head.

Glenis says the street in a new suburb must be right on the fault line. All the upscale homes there have been moved and twisted from their foundations. They are uninhabitable as are hundreds of others.

Wow, Glenis! I think I’ll stick to hurricanes!

So I got to Wondering: What Does It Take to Produce a Cookbook?

Another genre heard from! Even before I met Dr. Ann Moseley, author of college level English textbooks (see post on July 18, 2010) I was exchanging emails with another author, the artistic and irrepressible Glenis Thomas of Wellington, New Zealand.

Glenis and I met via my website some time back when she was gathering info on publishers. When she said she was working on a blueberry cookbook I made a point of keeping in touch. I LOVE blueberries! Just look at her beautiful website: www.wotzon.com/w/eggart which announces her upcoming Blueberry Recipes. In her words: “It's point of difference is that it is dedicated to one type of fruit and every recipe is illustrated.”

The first thing I wanted to know was: who took all those mouth-watering pictures? She did! Which led to the exquisite crystal and china pieces. Were they hers? Well, they are now! She boldly approached “a huge company here in NZ” and stated her purpose. And would they like a mention in her book? I guess so - they gave her a gift certificate to cover her purchases!

It helps that Glenis happens to be an extremely creative, artsy-crafty person in the first place: “I designed the book and layout. I composed and took the photos of my recipes…and had two skilled friends edit and proof read. My neighbours, my international students, and friends were taste testers.”

“Neighbours?” Uh-oh. Does than mean the measurements are in metric? At this point, she’s considering two versions for her international audience. Actually, it happens that my Pyrex measuring cups are labeled both ways. I’m sure most are. But the folks she polled in the US want things stated in the imperial system. Conversions, she tells me, are terrifically time-consuming. “So far the book has cost me 20 months work.” Blimey, mates! I want that book NOW!

What else is involved? In her own words:

Being a compilation helped, as I have several recipes supplied by cook book authors, restaurant cooks, and foodies from USA, Canada, UK, Australia, and NZ. Blueberries have only been in NZ 30 years, and commercially about 20, so it is a young industry here.

I did a lot of research about blueberries and publications. I approached experts on the subject of blueberries to make sure my history, health and storage info was correct. I also contacted the Blueberry Industry "umbrella", Blueberries NZ Inc. to enlist their help in contacting blueberry farmers and checking info. I will be going to their AGM (Annual General Meeting) in September to personally promote the book.

Wow. So…when can we get our hands on it? A few weeks ago I pointedly mentioned that July is National Blueberry Month. The operative word here is “National.” You see, in NZ blueberry season is November. So her publisher will either release it then, or “sometime next year.” Sigh.

Okay, I know you’re all wondering. Yes, Glenis had friends and relatives appearing as extras in Lord of the Rings.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to her website to pre-order Blueberry Recipes.